In utero exposure to alcohol and puberty in boys: a pregnancy cohort study

OBJECTIVES: Epidemiological studies have raised concerns about the reproductive consequences of in utero exposure to alcohol. Maternal lifestyle factors have been associated with altered pubertal development, but the impact of prenatal alcohol exposure on male puberty is unknown. Thus, the objective was to explore whether prenatal alcohol exposure alters pubertal development in boys. SETTING: Follow-up of a Danish pregnancy cohort. PARTICIPANTS: Sons (N=2522) of women who were enrolled in a Danish pregnancy cohort between 1984 and 1987. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Indicators of pubertal development, assessed by age at first nocturnal emission, voice break, acne and regular shaving. RESULTS: We found a tendency towards a later age at first nocturnal emission and voice break following in utero exposure to binge drinking. Boys exposed to ≥5 binge drinking episodes during pregnancy experienced their first nocturnal emission 7.3 months (95% CI −2.8 to 17.4) later and voice break 4.9 months (95% CI −0.6 to 10.4) later than the unexposed boys. Results for average weekly alcohol consumption were in the same direction, but differences were smaller and not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: We found no strong support for the hypothesis that in utero exposure to weekly alcohol consumption is a risk factor for altered pubertal development, but a tendency towards delayed pubertal development among boys exposed to binge drinking during fetal life was observed. Longitudinal studies, with data collected as children go through puberty, are needed to explore this further.